The Treehouse

One lonely little bow tie...

is all that I managed for FNSI. Things didn't quite turn out as I planned for my Friday night of sewing. I have big plans for Sunday though - everybody else is going to mess about in boats all day. The house will be empty except for me and the kitty so hopefully we can get down to some serious sewing!

I like making these blocks - I made one for the Farmer's Wife quilt a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to making more - perhaps on Sunday!

We are driving up to the Lake District today to first of all visit the exhibition at Fobbles  I sent along some of my own stitching to be displayed and am looking forward to seeing what others have been making...may fit in a little shopping on the side :grin: Then we're off to Coniston so that the water babies can get their boating fix...I'll be the one on the shore, in the chair, with the stitching and the good book! 

Sewing tonight...

 

 

well, I hope to be anyway :) Tonight is July's Friday Night Sew In - I've not decided just what to sew yet but I will definitely be sewing something. Click on the link in my sidebar to sign up and join in :)

 

 

 

I've realised that I really need to get some actual quilting done - I've two quilts now sitting waiting attention one of which has been finished and basted for months now. I should do something about them. Very soon. Poor Catherine has been waiting for her quilt for ages - here's a pic of the finished top...

 

Now - a little confession. I started this a. long. time. ago. It was the second of the Red Barn Quilt Alongs. It was supposed to be a zigzag design. When I laid it out I didn't take to the zig zagginess of it and so it morphed into pinwheels...eventually. I abandoned it for quite a long time. Possibly 18 months of abandonment during which time I would occasionally guilt myself into sewing a pinwheel or two. Now it's finished I quite like it and wonder why I was so reluctant to sew it together. I am wondering if it needs a black border. I'd rather not as I'd like it finished. The hold up now is how on earth to quilt it. I am no quilter. If I practised then I could aspire to some vaguely competent quilting some day but I'm far too busy starting new projects to fit in some practice! I can see that something more than quilt in the ditch is called for here as the blocks are 16" square. But what? Something easy is required. I contemplated Big Stitch quilting but again - what design. I don't think that just sewing around the triangles will do the trick. I will gladly accept any advice :)

I've also got my Lynette Anderson My Garden quilt to attend to - it's been waiting for months now. I love it and want it finished and hanging on the wall. I bought a pretty little heart template for the border...nothing has happened yet. I need to locate some quilting mojo asap!

(and regarding my penchant for starting things new - I keep looking at the Bow Tie quilt a long. I have 'just' the right fabric for that!)

At last - pictures again!

I've been without a card reader for a little while and goodness me it has been a heck of a nuisance! I've scanned a few things but not everything will fit onto the scanner! Today I loaded the children into the car and we  set off on a mission to buy a new card reader and new swimming togs for Matthew  - we were successful on both counts and now I can show you pictures and Matthew can once again go swimming in a 'decent' fashion!

I accumulated quite a few things to photograph over the last little while - we'll go with cross stitch first - I've been happily stitching away on LHN The Library which I started a long time ago and abandoned. I'm enjoying stitching on it now - here's the progress so far...

Another project that I gave new life to last week is Blackbird Designs Snow Garden - again, I started this ages ago and struggled to stitch it under electric light as many of the threads are similar in colour. This is how far along I am...

It's difficult to see the stitching on this - I have only a tiny bit of border left to stitch now.

I replenished my cross stitch stash on a Saturday morning super spend with Carole the other week - we've got quite a few stitch a longs planned now. We have both kitted up for CCN April Showers, LHN Coffee Menu and LHN Sunflower House. I also kitted up for CCN Bee Joyful - alas, Carole is not a fan of the little creatures so I'll be stitching that one solo! We have plans for another super shop in the future once there are some stitches done, I think the new CCN Sunflower chart is in both of our futures!

Carole also directed me to some very pretty threads called Six Strand Sweets which are currently on sale at Sew and Sew and I had a small indulge and in fact I am already stitching away with one of them. They are lovely to stitch with, nice and smooth.

Recently, Jenny of Elefantz has begun publishing a monthly magazine. I, of course, signed up to receive it as I've enjoyed Jenny's lovely designs for some time. I was just putting together my fabrics for the new BOM that is in the magazine when along came one of Jenny's email newsletters. In the newsletter was a pattern for a sunflower wallhanging. It was a 'stop everything and make this' moment. Why? Well, I have a bit of a thing for all things sunflower (see above cross stitch chart) and on top of that there are little bumble bees (love those) and then - the sunflower is a Dresden plate! Now, several moons ago I purchased a fat eighth bundle of Charlevoix by Minick and Simpson with the intention of making Dresden plates with it. Clearly that hasn't yet happened or there would have been some pictures of them on the blog :blush: I decided that I could pinch a little bit of Charlevoix for this wallhanging and here is the progress so far...

It's not the best photo in the world I'm afraid, I had to stand on a chair to get all of the sunflower in the picture and there may have been some wobbling going on! If you squint a bit you might be able to see the bumble bees (stitched in Dreamy Caramel Cream Six Strand Sweet thread) It's an overdyed so there is a lovely subtle variation along the length of the thread and although it calls itself Cream it is in fact a delicate lemon that's just perfect for this project. There is a verse at the top to stitch yet and I'm quite tempted to put another bumble bee on there somewhere :)

I think I mentioned that I had signed up for the Fat Quarter Shop Designer BOM and I made the first block last month. Due to the problem with the card reader I wasn't able to show a picture but here it is now...

I had been debating on whether or not to purchase the finishing kit and when I saw it on Christine's blog I was sold on the idea (plus I was fretting that in 12 months time there wouldn't be a jot of Strawberry Fields fabric left on the planet!).

This month's block arrived this morning too - I'm having a sewing day on Sunday while everybody else kayaks so I'm looking forward to working on these. While I was ordering the finishing kit I also indulged in a kit for a quilt that I had seen in McCall's Quilting - bit naughty really but I cannot resist baskets and the fabric is beautiful!

Phew - thank you if you read to the end of that rather long posting. Hopefully the pretty eye candy made it worth the while :) I knew I would forget some photos - my Vignette progress and also astonishing progress on Catherine's giant pinwheel quilt (another long abandoned project) which has now made it to quilt top status although I'm stuck as to how to quilt it now - they can wait for another post :)

 

 

 

An Owl and some Seedlings...

There are a lot of people signed up to make the Farmer's Wife Quilt and I just couldn't resist (there is a link in my sidebar to the Flickr group). The blocks are only 6" and the ones that I've made so far have stitched up quite quickly...they're rather addictive. I've managed to make 8 this week and would have made more but I was determined to finish off my Owl cross stitch. Once I've made another 4 I'll be up to date until it's time to make the next blocks. I've some free time tomorrow while the boys go kayaking so I may just fire up my sewing machine and make a couple more blocks. I'm using my stash of Fig Tree fabrics - I've started with some Fig and Plum, I especially love the colours in this collection of fabric. Here are my first 8 blocks...

The cross stitch that I finished this week is Once Upon a Time...an Owl, charted by Jardin Prive. It's turned out very nicely and I'm looking forward to getting it framed and hanging on the wall.

I am still without a card reader so these are scans, I just about managed to fit the Owl onto the scanner! I'm happily stitching away on LHN The Library now and enjoying it enormously. I did a little online shopping with Carole this morning - I think we rather egged eachother on! The upshot is that we will be stitching along together on LHN Coffee Menu soon and hopefully Sunflower Inn after that! I also have a Blackbird Designs chart that I'd like to stitch soon...if only the need for sleep didn't become so pressing after a while, lol!








 

June Stitching - overdue update!

June has flown by in a flurry of cricket, netball, bowling and various other activities. The sunshine has finally arrived and we've spent this weekend enjoying the garden and bbqing. It was a little quiet on the stitching front in June but I did manage to squeeze in plenty of work on Vignette - part one is now finished and part two is halfway complete. I think this may be a long term project as I can't seem to keep up with the pace...that has absolutely nothing to do with the amount of projects that are on the go of course :grin: 

I've finally managed to complete the blocks for the Pennsylvania Dutch quilt - here are the final two...

This is block number 7, called Field Furrows and below is block number 12 which is called Journey's End.

I like both of them - now to sew it all together and catch up on some Civil War blocks.

I have managed to stay on track with the Henrietta Whiskers block of the month - here is June's block and then a picture of the first two rows sewn together.

I'm really enjoying stitching this quilt, it's an absolute pleasure.

I also stitched the first block of the Fat Quarter Shop's Designer Block of the Month which is called Sweetpea. I wasn't going to join this BOM as I really have enough going on but...it's made with Fig Tree Strawberry Fields fabrics and Joanna of Fig Tree is my favourite fabric designer of all. 

While in the garden this weekend I spent some time with my current cross stitch project which is Once Upon a Time...an Owl and I accomplished quite a lot. I just have a few leaves, the rest of the owl and the moon to stitch and then this will be ready for framing.

No photos of the last two projects or Vignette just yet as my little gadget for transferring from camera to computer has gone on strike! Hopefully my in house expert will be able to persuade it to co-operate when he gets in tonight :)

I spotted a QAL for the Farmer's Wife quilt early on in the month and was sorely tempted to join in. So tempted that I dug out some favourite Fig Tree fabrics and put them to one side ready to get going. I did promise myself that I wouldn't begin until the PD blocks were completed and as they're now all done I can get started with a little farming!

Henrietta Whiskers block 5

Not much sewing has taken place for the last couple of weeks. I made a great start on the Owl cross stitch and then had to take a rest because of elbow pain. I realised at the weekend that I was in danger of not completing this month's Henrietta Whiskers block if I didn't get some stitching done so I did a little bit each day and managed to finish in time...just a few days until the next block is available. This is the only project that I'm on track with so I don't want to fall behind! Once the school holidays are over I intend to try and catch up on my Civil War blocks - at least that way I'll get a stitching fix but won't irritate my elbow.

Here's this month's Henrietta block...

 

and here are the first 5 blocks together. Row 1 blocks are stitched together already, hopefully by this time next month row 2 will be stitched together and attached to row 1 :)

I forgot to take a photo of the progress on the owl cross stitch - I was getting along nicely before the elbow butted in and demanded I take a break!

Time for Tea

is finished! The colours are lovely and the little beads are the perfect addition.

 

I did draw out the shapes for this month's Henrietta Whisker's block last night but the light wasn't good enough for fabric choosing so I settled down with my next cross stitch project which is 'Once Upon a Time...an Owl' charted by Jardin Prive from the the art of Spanish artist Raquel Blasco Not my usual sort of colours at all but I just fell in love with the picture, here's a little peak of what it will look like when finished...

I have a few other charts from Jardin Prive and may do the Eiffel Quaker after this owl is complete although I really need to catch up on the Civil War Sampler blocks. I've got quite behind lately as I seem to have been enjoying cross stitching so much that I've got completely caught up in it!

 

Friday Night Sew In this month is on 20th May - I'm hoping to join in a little bit but we'll be spending some time packing up Catherine's rucksack ready for her DofE expedition...hopefully now that we've done the practice weekend we'll be quicker at packing for the real deal! You can join in too by signing up here

Overdue Update!

I was all set to post some pictures on Friday morning only to find that the battery was flat in the camera! I've not had quite as much stitching time as usual lately but am still fitting a little in now and again when my arm permits. 

First picture is the finally framed My Little Heart - I gave up trying to find a frame for it and took it to the framing shop last week, I think it turned out rather well.

I finished off the April block for Henrietta Whiskers last week, I really enjoy making these blocks each month.

and finally, an update on the teacups. I've almost finished these - just a few French knots, some beads and a little more backstitching of words and it will be complete. I love how well the colours blend together on this - the pattern is in Cross Stitch Collection magazine.

I think it would benefit from spending a little time with the iron! 

A few finishes...

Well I seem to have been absent from my blog for quite a while. It's been a busy time on the sporting front for the children and my Dad has been in and out of hospital so any spare time I've had I've spent stitching away. 

My last finish for March was the 3rd Henrietta Whiskers block - these blocks are all so sweet. 

I'm looking forward to this month's block which sees the return of Sophie the blackbird and friend. I need to spend some time with my sewing machine to give my hand a rest from all the hand sewing I've been doing...am suffering from a nasty dose of RSI and I'm hoping that a little time with the machine will give it sufficient rest.

I began my next finish while away with the girls for the first of this year's crafting weekends. I started it together with Karen and we have been stitching along together. I wanted mine completed in time for Easter though so I've zoomed ahead to finish off. I have my DH all lined to construct a frame for it, it's such an unusual size that I think I'm unlikely to find anything in the shops that will do the job.

This is Bunny Hop by Country Cottage Needleworks. It's stitched with recommended threads on the the recommended fabric. It was a lovely easy stitch, I really enjoyed it. Karen and I have all the ingredients for another CCN design called Sheep in the Meadow. I have my eye on a design called April Showers as well but that's way down the list, lol! I'm starting on a pattern from Jardin Prive next which is called Once Upon a Time...an Owl. I've admired these designs since Nathalie Cichon first started to adapt them from the paintings of Spanish artist Raquel Blasco and I could resist no longer. Will be stitching along with Cara on this one. After that I've a rather pretty teacup design lined up from this month's issue of Cross Stitch Collection.

My other finish this month was a candle mat with bunny rabbits on it. This year my friends and I decided to do a little Easter basket exchange. The gift had to include a small handmade item and some chocolate. I had a few things in mind to make but then couldn't resist this candle mat from Bareroots  for obvious reasons!

Photo is courtesy of Sue as I forgot to take a picture of it before I wrapped it up to give to her! I was really pleased with how it turned out. I've not been using wool felt for very long - obtaining a supply of it was difficult but now Karen at Patchwork Chicks has a great selection available so I'm keen to try more projects with it. I have another couple of these candle mat patterns - one with strawberries on and another with one of my favourites on it...beehives, can't seem to get enough bee related things lately for some reason!

I have a great list of things to do before the end of this month. The new button club from Lynette Anderson arrived last week from Fobbles, I really enjoyed making the first one and this one looks to be just as much fun. I also picked up the next Vignette magazine at the beginning of the month and there is a lot of stitching to be done for In Stitches quilt although I've not quite finished the first lot yet! I also have some new Inklingo stitching on the go - a new collection was released called Sunflower and it proved irresistable. The problem is that much of this is hand stitching (which is my favourite) and my poor arm needs a break so I think I will probably take some time to catch up with Civil War blocks and Pennsylvania Dutch blocks on the machine before I get down to any of these other things :) oh to be amidextrous! I read some good books last month too...just need some time to write up my list of those!

Friday Night Sew In - March

Last night was March's Friday Night Sew In and I managed to cross a couple of things off my 'to-do' list :D First of all I made last week's block for the Civil War quilt - I like this one a lot, especially the fabrics.

Then I caught up with the Consider the Lilies BOM and made parts 2 and 3 of block one. I stitched those to the first part which has the lilies on it (completed last month). I've just the stitchery designs to trace onto parts 2 and 3 and 2 applique hearts to make. I'm taking this with me to stitch when we have our weekend away next weekend.

After that I settled down in front of the tv to watch some Comic Relief with my Vignette In Stitches part one. I'm enjoying the stitching on this but it's quite slow going - the pink flowers take quite a while to stitch!

It could benefit from a visit with the iron I think, it looks terribly crumpled here :o My issue two hasn't arrived at the LQS as yet so I'm not counting myself as behind for now, lol!
Earlier in the week I made March's Henrietta Whiskers block but I've saved the hand stitching on that for my weekend away...and forgotten to take a photo of it!